Good morning and welcome to The Midge, your first bite of the day’s politics from Scotland and elsewhere.
Police Scotland's Deputy Chief Constable, Neil Richardson (left) is under pressure
Today’s top stories
- Police chief in spy row
- 20,000 UK tourists stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh as flights suspended
- Cameron meets Egypt’s President Sisi amid tourism impact
- Scottish Government scrambles to make up tax credits cuts
- First Minister Nicola Sturgeon set for Desert Island Discs
06.00 BBC Radio 4 Today headlines
Government pledges to return British tourists from Egypt safely as intelligence points to bomb downing Russian airliner … Reports of rape in England and Wales up, but number charged falls … Elton John pledges £3 million to improve HIV treatment in Africa … UK Justice Secretary Michael Gove aims to reduce prison population in England and Wales … Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi promises to lead government if party wins Sunday’s elections … And the Collins dictionary word of the year is binge-watching, closely followed by contactless, Corbynomics, and dad-bod.
07.00 BBC Good Morning Scotland headlines
UK Government suspends Sharm el-Sheikh flights, the morning Thomson Airways flight from Glasgow cancelled, ditto arrival of evening flight … Scottish doctors leaders call for free portion of fruit and veg for primary school pupils to be among party pledges at Holyrood elections … Moray Council is to trial the fast-tracking of foreign qualified teachers into the profession to tackle staff shortages … MI5 admits recording all domestic phone calls for ten years … and MPs to debate the Government’s stake in RBS.
The front pages
The Herald leads on an exclusive report that Neil Richardson, in the running to become Scotland’s next chief constable, is under pressure after a watchdog found a unit under his control broke new rules on spying on journalist’s sources.
Paul Hutcheon reports that long-awaited findings into serious breaches by Police Scotland’s Counter Corruption Unit are to be made public soon. In another exclusive, Magnus Gardham, political editor, says new figures show that for the first time in 35 years Scotland is no longer wealthier than the rest of the UK.
The Evening Times splashes on the setting up of a special police squad to target street gangs mugging pensioners.
The National front page carries privacy campaigner Edward Snowden’s warning that new UK government surveillance laws will leave Britain with “the most intrusive and least accountable surveillance regime in the West”.
The Times, Telegraph, Scotsman, Independent, Guardian, Scottish Daily Mail, Daily Express, and the i lead on the UK government’s suspension of flights from Sharm el-Sheikh.
The Mail says a review by UK aviation experts has exposed “serious loopholes” in security at the Egyptian resort, while the Times reports on the Cobra meeting last night after which Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said there was “a significant possibility” the Russian airliner disaster was caused by “an explosive device on board the plane.”
The Financial Times reports that pressure on the National Grid yesterday sent wholesale electricity prices soaring. At one point Grid chiefs asked heavy users including hospitals to switch to back-up or reduce demand. The Sun and the Daily Mail have pictures of Jennifer Lawrence, star of the latest Hunger Games movie, at the film’s world premiere in Berlin.
The Daily Record reports on an investigation into a police child protection officer’s relationship with a vulnerable teenager.
Camley's Cartoon
Scotland is no longer wealthier than the UK, according to new figures
Behind the news
Go ahead caller, I’m listening: They had trailed the new surveillance powers extensively, even allowing one journalist to report from inside GCHQ, and the mood music from government was one of reassurance. Yet the Home Secretary’s publication of the draft Investigatory Powers Bill has still prompted more questions than answers. Suspicions that all is never quite as it seems with the security services were further heightened after Theresa May acknowledged that MI5 had been recording all domestic phone calls for the last ten years. Why rules, and adherence to them, matters is made clear in The Herald’s front page report concerning spying on journalists’ sources. A new code had been put in place that required judicial approval before police could access phone records, emails and texts to identify a journalist’s source, yet Police Scotland was one of two forces identified by a watchdog as having breached the new code. After months of delay a report on the breaches is now due. Liberal Democrat MSP Alison McInnes says: “We need answers and we need them now.”
U-turn, what U-turn? First Minister’s Questions look set to be lively today following hasty manoeuvrings by the Scottish Government yesterday over tax credits cuts. At first, responding to a pledge from Scottish Labour that it would reverse the cuts, the Scottish Government said it it did not have the power to do so. Can’t happen under the Scotland Bill as currently constituted was the line. Can happen, said the experts, so back came Alex Neil (above), the Social Justice Secretary, to think again.
Mr Neil then told MSPs that the Scottish Government would now wait till the Chancellor’s Spending Review later this month before revealing its own plans to support poorer households. Labour MSP Jackie Baillie said Mr Neil was behaving “like a pantomime dame”, adding “what an absolute shambles from the SNP”. Never mind Alex, I’m sure they’re all behind you.
Operation palm tree: She’s been in Vogue, wowed national television audiences in the election debates, and now Nicola Sturgeon (above) is to be given the ultimate signal she has arrived - a spot on Desert Island Discs. The First Minister will be quizzed about her musical choices and life by fellow Scot Kirsty Young on the Radio 4 show on November 15 to mark her first year in the Scottish political hot seat.
We couldn’t possibly speculate about the FM’s musical tastes, but she is a child of the Seventies, so the wise money would suggest Bolan or Bowie would feature somewhere. If it’s Donny and Marie, questions will be asked.
The Diary
Scotland
- Nicky Morgan, UK women and equalities minister, to speak at Standard Life conference
- Sheku Bayoh's family to meet Lord Advocate in Edinburgh
Holyrood
- First Minister’s Questions
- Members’ Business from James Dornan MSP on StepChange Debt Charity’s action plan on problem debt
- Stage 1 debate of the Carers (Scotland) Bill
- Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee (in private)
- Scottish Commission for Public Audit (in private)
- Justice Sub-Committee on Policing
Westminster
- David Cameron (above) meets President Sisi of Egypt
- Menzies Campbell introduced as peer
- Backbench debate on the Government’s stake in RBS
- Lords Questions on new frigates by former head of the navy Lord West of Spithead
- EU External Affairs Committee on EU foreign and security policy
- Frank Field MP at Resolution Foundation event on limiting the impact of tax credit cuts
- Foreign Secretary in Luxembourg at meeting of EU Foreign Ministers
- Defence Secretary in Portugal at biggest NATO exercise for more than a decade
Afore ye go
“A massive gorilla on the block.”
An ITV News executive’s description of the BBC after Huw Edwards takes to Twitter to complain about the commercial broadcaster’s “creative handling of audience figures”. (The Guardian)
"Running a G7 country is not for the faint-hearted. I don't think I'm up to it, I don't want it and I don't want the impact that it would have on my life and all of the people that I love.”
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson (above) interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland’s Stark Talk.
Thank you for reading The Midge, your first bite of the day’s politics from Scotland and elsewhere. See you again tomorrow.
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